[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 69 (Thursday, May 16, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E830-E831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 AN HONEST BUDGET FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES

                                 ______


                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 16, 1996

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the work that this 
Congress has done in the interest of our children and the generations 
to come. In my 20 years with the U.S. Navy and my few short years in 
Congress, I believe that being part of the Republican effort to balance 
the Federal budget is the most important work I've done in my life.
  While the President is fully engaged in the campaign to save his job, 
the Republican-led

[[Page E831]]

Congress continues the hard work to produce a sound, realistic, and 
responsible budget that ends the nightmare of Federal deficit spending 
by the year 2002.
  The American people have demanded an honest balanced budget from 
their Government. Let's take a look at who is offering them one:
  Predictably, President Clinton has once again sent the American 
people a budget that uses political tricks and sleight-of-hand 
economics to get to balance. According to the independent Congressional 
Budget Office [CBO] the only way that the President's budget will reach 
balance by 2002 is if he applies a contingency proposal in the last 2 
years. In 2001 and 2002, long after this President will be out of 
office, the Clinton budget relies on $67 billion in unspecified cuts 
and a $16 billion tax increase in order to reach balance. Thus, the 
Clinton Budget fails to be honest with the American people.
  Our Republican budget, on the other hand, slowly and steadily reduces 
the Federal deficit every year for the next 6 years. It is really a 
budget for our children and for the future of all Americans. Under our 
plan, the Federal Government will actually have a surplus of over $3 
billion dollars in the year 2002 and we get to balance by actually 
spending more on the programs that are important to all Americans. No 
more putting off the tough decisions, and no more sending the bill to 
our kids to pay.
  The Republican budget saves Medicare from bankruptcy, increasing 
spending on seniors' health care from this year's $5200 per beneficiary 
to over $7000 per beneficiary by 2002. We increase access to important 
student loan programs that help young Americans provide for their 
education. To help students get these loans, the Republican plan 
increases student loan volume from $26 billion in 1996 to a total of 
$37 billion in 2002.
  Our budget also places a priority on keeping the promise that we have 
made with the veterans that have defended our country over the years by 
rejecting the $5.1 billion in additional cuts that were recommended in 
the President's budget.
  Our budget continues our effort to eliminate wasteful and redundant 
Federal programs and reform runaway Federal spending on a broken 
welfare system so that we can target precious resources toward working 
for and with American families. The budget calls for the elimination of 
the Department of Energy and Commerce, as well as over 130 other 
Federal agencies or programs.
  This Republican budget puts cash into the checkbooks of American 
households. It allows families to keep more of their hard earned money 
through tax relief. The budget includes a $500 per child tax credit for 
families earning less than $100,000 a year.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support House Concurrent Resolution 178, a 
sound, solid, and sincere budget that takes power, money, and control 
away from Washington bureaucrats and special interests and returns it 
to the American people, where it belongs.

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